The Bible says “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden, it brought suffering, chaos, and death upon the world.
As we’ve mentioned multiple times in our previous posts, God loves us and wants us to know Him, His Son Jesus Christ, and His plan for our lives. He wants to establish us in righteousness so He can continue to pour out His loving kindness upon us throughout eternity (Ephesians 2:7). He actually wants us to reign with Him, which is mind boggling (Revelations 5:10, 20:6; 2 Timothy 2:12).
Although this is true, there is a side of Him we must never forget… He is holy… He is just. Being just, He cannot condone sin or the lifestyle of those who want to continue in their sin with no repentance. Yes, as we shared in our first post of this series, He does forgive us when we confess our sins (1 John 1:8-9) and He does cleanse us from all unrighteousness through the finished work of Christ.
Recently, there have been numerous scandals reported among prominent church leaders. Some are difficult to imagine, because these leaders have led mega churches and been highly visible for years and decades. Many of these scandals were the result of affairs, s*xual misconduct, or m*lestation.
Someone may ask, “How can this be?” The answer is not an easy one, but I can assure you, God did everything in His power to warn those perpetrating these acts. His first line of correction is to convict us of our sins in private or before they take root and are acted upon.
In the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, we see His pattern of warning, as portrayed with Adam in the Garden in Eden
16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 2:16-17
Later, we see Him warning Cain about his jealousy and the evil condition of his heart.
6) So the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7) If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it."
8) Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Genesis 4:6-8
God warned both Adam and Cain about the consequences of sin, but both went their own way and disobeyed. The Lord was not to be blamed. They had undeniable encounters with the Lord instructing them to avoid disobedience and rebellion. They clearly heard and understood His directive and warnings.
The pattern remains the same today. The Father always warns us of the dangers of living in unrepented sin. Not because He is an angry God, but because He is a loving God who does not want us to suffer the ramifications of our disobedience and sin. Living in sin is costly. (John 5:14, Romans 6:23a)
In the book of Revelation, we see Jesus rebuking the Churches of Asia about their shortcomings. When He rebuked the Church of Pergamos He gave them an ultimatum to repent or else (See Revelation 2:16).
When He rebuked the Church Thyatira, He gave them a seeming last warning for a woman who He spiritually nicknamed Jezebel. She had taught all types of wickedness, including fornication and idolatry. He had given her plenty of time and space to repent, which indicates He had already been dealing with her, not only privately, but possibly through others in the church.
Now He would have to judge her and those following her teaching and seduction (Revelation 2:18-23). Without judgement, the sin she was introducing to the church would spread like a rampant disease, infect the whole community, and destroy many lives.
Jesus died to remove our sins, not to give us license to walk in sin. Yes, we all miss it at times, but if we repent when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our wrong, the Father is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9).
Now, back to the leaders and scandals being exposed in the church.
Some of the leaders who have fallen and been exposed were great orators, good motivators, and teachers, but not good at resisting temptation or repenting of their secret sins. Undoubtedly, the Father spoke to their hearts over and over again to either step down from their ministry platform and seek help, or to turn from their wicked way and live uprightly.
When the leaders did not listen and repent, the devil made sure they were deceived and entrapped in their lust, greed, or pride. Because they did not come clean before God, repent and seek help, their sin was exposed. The exposures have brought pain and confusion to those following their ministries and left many questions in the minds of their followers. But… these exposures should also be a warning.
Are you dealing with some secret sin or weakness in your life? Is there some fantasy, or pet sin that you have toyed with over the years that
is now trying to take root? Are you walking in disobedience to something the Lord has told you to do or change? If so, turn to the Father right now, ask His forgiveness, and cry out for His mercy and grace to overcome. He already knows your vulnerability and will help you if you repent.
14) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as
we are, yet without sin. 16) Let us therefore come boldly to the
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16
Just like X-rays and MRIs expose things in the body that need medical attention, so God’s light exposes things in our life that need cleansing, adjustment, healing, and correction. Let’s not run from His light, but to His light, for He loves us dearly and only wants our good.
Until next time, may God our Heavenly Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died and rose again for our sins and justification, bless, and keep you.
James Brown
CST 09/24/2024